Fans continue to throw their support behind certain actors they feel would be strong choices to don the cape and cowl as Batman in the burgeoning DC Comics movie and TV universe.
Reacher star Alan Ritchson and The Housemaid's Brandon Sklenar have already emerged as fan-favorites to play the iconic Gotham City vigilante, and more recently, model-turned-actor Paul Anthony Kelly gained a lot of attention following his performance as John F. Kennedy Jr. in Ryan Murphy's Love Story.
Kelly was asked about the fan campaign during an interview with GQ, and responded:
“If that’s what they say, then who am I to say no? I mean, that would be a dream come true.”
To be fair, we'd be more surprised if any actor said they weren't interested. Fan campaigns rarely result in the actor in question landing the role, but it has been known to happen.
We're probably still a while away from an official DCU Batman casting announcement, but DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has previously revealed what fans tend to request most for the latest big-screen take on the hero, who is still expected to debut in The Brave and The Bold movie.
Gunn was asked if the "most requested thing" for the new Dark Knight was the white eyes (lenses to obscure the eyes when wearing the cowl) on social media, and responded that it's actually the blue and grey costume, then the "yellow around the bat," and then the white eyes.
"The most requested thing would be the blue and grey. Then the yellow around the bat. And THEN the white eyes. But all of those things I find less important than the character himself, the writing, and the person who plays him."
Do you think Paul Anthony Kelly would be a good pick to play Batman? Drop us a comment down below.
"This is the introduction of the DCU's Batman," Gunn said of The Brave and the Bold when the Gods and Monsters slate was announced. "This is the story of Damian Wayne, who is Batman's actual son who we didn't know existed for the first eight to 10 years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin. He's a little son of a bitch. He's my favorite Robin. It's based on the Grant Morrison comic book's run, which is one of my favorite Batman runs, and we are putting that all together right now."
Peter Safran added, "And this is obviously a feature film, and it's going to feature other members of the extended 'Bat-family', just because we feel like they've been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long."
We have heard conflicting reports about whether The Flash director Andy Muschietti is still attached to helm The Brave and The Bold, and Gunn has since admitted that the movie have "changed" fairly significantly since the above announcement.
There's been speculation that the new Batman could be introduced sooner, possibly even in 2027's Man of Tomorrow (we'd say this is highly unlikely).